We are proud to be recognised as a top 20 learning provider for the second consecutive year by the Learning & Performance Institute (LPI).

This means Zonal retains its status as an elite training provider, having achieved the recognition from a large pool of LPI accredited learning providers.

Zonal’s Head of Learning & Development, Craig Hamill, said:

“I am thrilled for my team to have this recognition again; it’s no mean feat to consistently achieve the top 20 status. The accreditation is a globally recognised quality mark that offers assurance that we are delivering best practice and operating to the highest possible industry standards as audited by the LPI.”

To achieve the recognition, Zonal had to demonstrate that it provides its customers with the best learning solutions and services possible, according to specific best practice criteria.  In addition, it had to undergo an independent and rigorous annual accreditation process, which examines every aspect of its involvement in learning services.

Edmund Monk, CEO, Learning and Performance Institute, said:

“To maintain the demands of the programme demonstrates a deep commitment to business excellence and an unwavering investment in organisational development. Anyone looking to engage with Zonal can be sure of a quality experience working with its people, processes and products.”

Zonal, which also holds a Gold Standard for its training provision by the LPI, delivers its core product training from its Innovation Centre in Abingdon, where custom-designed training rooms have the capability of imitating various customer site configurations, offering an interactive classroom style environment.

Zonal’s team of 18 trainers, provide over 20,000 hours of classroom and onsite training courses and training support every year.  The company also deliver training online and have developed a suite of e-learning modules that are tailored to meet individual client requirements.

To find out more about the LPI 20 top learning providers and the criteria for the accreditation, download the ebook here.

We are proud to announce we have unlocked £400,000 for our customers’ charities thanks to our partnership with digital charity box, Pennies.

Zonal’s integration with Pennies has enabled customers ETM Group, Fuller’s, Greene King and The Stable, to raise additional sums for their chosen causes including Maggie’s, Shooting Star Children’s Hospices, Dorset Mind, Childhood Trust and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Zonal’s Chief Executive, Stuart McLean, said: “This is an anniversary year for Zonal as we celebrate 40 years in business, so it’s wonderful to be celebrating another milestone where all these charities have been able to benefit from our integration with Pennies.

“Being part of the hospitality sector, we fully appreciate how charity fundraising sits at its very heart, so for Zonal it makes perfect sense to offer Pennies technology as part of our solution.”

Pennies’ digital charity box offers a multi-sector and omni-channel option for businesses to collect consumer donations when paying by card or digital wallet. Customers are prompted to round-up or top-up on a purchase via the card terminal screen – with a simple ‘yes or no’ option, and can donate entirely anonymously. The digital charity box is now present in over 7,000 shopfronts as well as on many mobile commerce and online platforms.

Alison Hutchinson CBE, CEO of Pennies said: “This month, the Charities Aid Foundation reported that fewer people are giving directly to charity, but we wonder to what extent the charity sector is perhaps not responding fast enough to changing consumer habits and use of technology.”

“We are finding that the generosity of the UK public continues to exceed our expectations – particularly in hospitality – thanks to partners like Zonal. And this is great news at a time we know is very challenging for the high street and challenging for charities.”

Recent research commissioned by Pennies revealed over a third of the UK public said they leave the house “frequently” with no cash on them, yet the propensity to give remains high. 87% of the public said they give to charity, but as we edge further into a ‘less cash’ society these opportunities need to include digital.

In just ten years, Pennies has raised over £18M for over 400 UK charities – across payment partners including Zonal – and was highlighted in Harrington Starr’s Financial Technologist ‘175 global fintech influencers’ in 2019. Pennies was the only charity to make the list.

Zonal has secured its place as finalists at The National Family Business Awards in the Technology category, which will be held at Wembley Stadium on 13th July.

The awards were founded 10 years ago to honour and celebrate the extraordinary 4.8 million family-owned businesses in the UK, which form the engine room of the British economy. For Zonal, which is celebrating 40 years at the forefront of hospitality technology innovation, the awards will see it compete against 11 other category finalists from across the UK.

Amelia Brightley-Gillott, managing director of Family Business Place, who host the awards, said: “We’re over the moon to welcome Zonal as Finalists of this year’s awards. They’re an exceptional example of how family businesses are leading the way, continuing to innovate and thriving in today’s competitive world.”

Zonal was established in 1979 when Ralph McLean created the first EPoS solution to address a problem of missing stock in his family owned hotel. Fast forward to today, and Zonal remains a family business with Ralph’s son Stuart McLean now chief executive and five family members on the board.

Stuart said: “We are thrilled to be recognised for such a prestigious, meaningful award in our 40th anniversary year. Family values of trust, integrity and loyalty sit at the heart of our business so there couldn’t be a better accolade for us to share with our team. To be a finalist and join a shortlist of such prestigious businesses is incredible. We will keep our fingers crossed for the big night at Wembley.”

Over 100 finalists from the UK and Ireland will now go head to head across 10 categories, judged by an independent panel. The winners will be announced at Wembley Stadium on 13th July in what’s set to be a spectacular 10th anniversary celebration of the awards.

The hospitality industry’s new IT and Marketing power couples will be gathering next week at an exclusive dinner hosted by tech innovators Zonal and Wireless Social.

It’s the second consecutive year the event has been organised by the two companies, who provide technology solutions for the hospitality sector, and brings together those responsible for IT and Marketing – two roles which in the past have been known to operate in silos, but today work together to drive significant business change and growth.

Zonal’s commercial director, David Charlton, said: “Last year’s Power Couples event proved to be so successful that we are running it again with Wireless Social in response to demand.  IT and Marketing are inextricably linked; the success of their roles depend on each other.  And the success of the businesses they represent depends on their collective efforts.”

Those attending include The Ivy Collection, Malmaison, Mitchells & Butlers, The Alchemist and Wadworth.

Wireless Social’s CEO, Julian Ross, added: “We have been overwhelmed by the popularity of our Power Couples event, which provides an opportunity for the industry’s IT and Marketing innovators to network, share ideas, challenges and solutions within an informal, but unique setting.”

The event on Wednesday 22 May, will take place at the historic Churchill War Rooms, the secret underground complex that housed the British government’s command centre throughout the Second World War.

We are proud to be listed for the first time in the Grant Thornton’s annual Top 100 Private Companies in Scotland.

Grant Thornton’s annual Scotland Limited report identifies the country’s top 100 limited companies and explores what lies behind their position as Scotland’s most dynamic, fastest growing businesses. In its fifth year, the report also provides a valuable yardstick against which the country can assess its economic performance, and businesses can benchmark themselves against their peers.

The recognition for Zonal comes as the family firm celebrates 40 years since it was founded by Ralph McLean, who developed the first EPoS system for the hospitality sector.  Today, the Edinburgh based company is run by Ralph’s son and chief executive, Stuart McLean.

Stuart said: “I am delighted that Zonal has been recognised as a top 100 private company in Scotland.  My father would be so proud of our success and our growth over the decades through technology innovation and jobs creation here in Scotland and throughout the UK.

Today, we are a major employer with over 650 staff who work tirelessly to make Zonal the success story it is.”

The Scotland Limited report identified that private firms contributed EBITDA of more than £2.7 billion to the economy.

Andrew Howie, managing partner of Grant Thornton Glasgow said: “Scotland Limited offers a degree of optimism and reassurance. The top 100 companies have all demonstrated that our country’s economy is diverse, robust and resilient.”

To find out more about the Scotland Business Landscape report, download your copy here.

Financial highlights for the year ended 30 June 2018

• Investment in R&D spend was up 41% to £6.9m (£4.9m)
• Like for like gross margin grew by 4% to 70% (66%)
• Cash balances grew by £5.6m to £13m
• Group turnover remained at £54m and after significant investment in R&D, operating profit before tax was £3.7m (£4m)
• 95% year-on-year increase in SaaS sales revenue

Celebrating 40 years in business, hospitality tech innovator, Zonal, increases
investment in Research and Development (R&D) by 41%.

In the year up to 30 June 2018, Zonal invested an additional £2m in R&D spending £6.9m up from £4.9m the previous year.

The Edinburgh-based family firm enjoyed another successful year of customer growth, adding new clients, system upgrades and increased product penetration to their existing customer base. This expansion contributed to a 95% year-on-year sales growth in Zonal’s Software as a Service (SaaS) business (2017: 62%).

Zonal predicts its sales to exceed £60m in FY19 thanks to a robust sales pipeline and further uptake of its suite of market leading products. The strategic acquisition of Comtrex Systems Corporation in 2018 has further strengthened the group’s customer base and delivered further expansion into North America.

Group turnover remained consistent year-on-year while like-for-like gross margins grew significantly to 70%. Due to its considerable investment in R&D, net margins were 7.0%, slightly down by 0.4%. Cash balances grew sharply by £5.6m to £13m.

Zonal’s core strategy is continued investment in its people and its solutions. The company recruited over a hundred additional employees during the year with R&D taking the lion’s share. This catapults Zonal’s workforce to more than 650 in locations across the UK including Edinburgh, Abingdon, Cardiff and Stafford.

Chief Executive Stuart McLean said: “This is a milestone anniversary for Zonal as we celebrate 40 years since our founder, and my father, Ralph McLean, launched the company after inventing the first hospitality EPoS system for our family hotel. Since then, technology has changed beyond recognition and so have we as a business, both in terms of size and ambitions. We are still a family business that cares passionately about our customers and our employees and we are proud to be leading the way in providing technology solutions for the hospitality industry.”

As for the future, Stuart added: “R&D will continue to be a key focus for Zonal as we look to enhance our existing offering and develop brand new products in 2019. These are exciting times and we look forward to another 40 years of cutting-edge innovation.”

During 2018, Zonal was recognised with a number of award wins including, Restaurant Magazine Readers Choice Award for best EPoS brand, The Herald’s Scottish Family Business of the Year, the Scottish Family Business Award & Supreme Champion at the Family Business Awards and Corporate Partner of the Year with its adopted charity, Hope for Children.

Zonal has appointed Henri Jooste as its strategic product manager focusing on its sophisticated supply chain solutions including stock management.

Located at Zonal’s Edinburgh head office, Henri will work with customers and the industry to explore their ever- evolving needs when it comes to supply and stock management.  Working closely with Zonal’s R&D teams Henri will deliver solutions that meet their needs now and in the future.

With a background working at the coalface of hospitality both in South Africa and the UK before paying a pivotal role in the development of hospitality technology products, Henri has unrivalled experience that is unique in our industry.

Henri said: “I am delighted to be joining Zonal at such a pivotal time in their journey. With a product set that truly stands out from the crowd Zonal provides the ideal opportunity to deliver world class, integrated solutions, which very few of our competitors can offer.”

 “I couldn’t be joining the company at a more exciting time with its 40^th anniversary year upon us. I find it quite remarkable that despite its significant growth Zonal remains a family business at heart with a culture of passion and dedication to its customers and staff that I have never experienced before”

Zonal’s Chief Executive Stuart McLean added: “We are thrilled to welcome someone of Henri’s calibre into the Zonal family.  Zonal prides itself on constantly evolving and we continuously assess our products and processes in order to deliver a dedicated and bespoke service for our customers.”

Street food, drinks and events specialist, Boxpark, has appointed Zonal as its technology partner.

The first of its three sites to install Zonal’s award winning Aztec EPoS system is its latest venture at Wembley Park, spanning 50,000sq ft of modern street food and leisure space and attracting up to 10,000 people a day.  Established Boxpark sites in Shoreditch and Croydon are to follow later in the year.

With ambitious plans to open another 12 locations across the UK, Boxpark was looking for a technology provider that could flex and grow with the business, while providing a stable and secure solution that could cope with high levels of footfall.

“The installation of 13 Aztec EPoS systems has gone without a hitch.”

Ben McLaughlin, Boxpark’s operations manager

We are already serving more people at a faster rate, as we only accept card and contactless payments, helping us to build sales and customer satisfaction levels without having to increase our 50 strong staff.”

For Boxpark it was also important that Zonal could fulfil the Wembley contract within a short space of time while coordinating activity with onsite contractors and other third-party network and broadband providers.

“It has been exciting for the Zonal project team to work with such an innovative pop-up concept and hugely rewarding to see it come together on time and within budget.”

Tim Chapman, Zonal’s sales director

We are pleased to announce Zonal has renewed its HOSPA sponsorship for another year, as it commits to supporting the association for the next 12 months.

Taking up the Silver Sponsorship package, Zonal is set to benefit from exposure to HOSPA’s extensive hospitality database – including an editorial feature in HOSPA’s monthly magazine The Overview, as well as various online listings, targeted email marketing and exhibitor discount at HOSPACE; HOSPA’s annual conference.

 

Tim Chapman, Sales Director at Zonal, said: “We are delighted to renew our membership with HOSPA for another year as we continue to develop our technology solutions for the hotel sector.”

As the UK’s leading educational organisation for professionals involved in Financial Management, Revenue Management, Marketing, IT and Asset Management within the hospitality industry, HOSPA has thousands of members covering a broad spread of hospitality expertise and operating at all levels within the sector and Zonal will now have access to this membership.

Helen Marshall, Head of Sponsorship at HOSPA, commented: “Zonal are a valued partner with HOSPA, and it’s fantastic to see them back on board once more. We’re looking to working together again for another year and would like to take the opportunity to thank them for their on-going support.”

Tech innovator for the hospitality sector, Zonal, has retained its status as being an Accredited Gold Standard Learning Provider from the Learning & Performance Institute (LPI) for the eighth consecutive year.

The LPI accreditation is a globally-recognised quality mark, with Zonal demonstrating that they are continuously raising both their learning standards and performance outcomes.  In 2015 the company was awarded and continues to maintain the Gold Standard (GSA), which is the definitive mark of quality in Learning & Development.

Zonal’s head of learning & development, Craig Hamill, said: “We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to raising learning standards and associated performance outcomes for the eighth year in a row.  At Zonal we take great pride in the quality of the training we offer our customers and our staff.

This accreditation offers assurance that we are delivering best practice and operating to the highest possible industry standards as audited by the LPI.”

Zonal delivers its core product training from its Innovation Centre in Abingdon, where custom-designed training rooms have the capability of imitating various customer site configurations, offering an interactive classroom style environment.

Edmund Monk, CEO, Learning and Performance Institute, said: “Zonal continues to lead the way for learning provision in the hospitality sector. With eight consecutive years as an LPI Gold Standard Accredited Learning Provider, here is an organisation that is setting the standard for performance improvement, customer service, and domain expertise in EPoS software and systems training.

“Achieving LPI Accreditation for the first time is no easy feat, but to maintain the demands of the programme for eight years demonstrates a deep commitment to business excellence and an unwavering investment in organisational development. Anyone looking to engage with Zonal can be sure of a quality experience working with its people, processes and products.”

Zonal’s team of 18 trainers, provide over 20,000 hours of classroom and onsite training courses and training support every year.  The company also deliver training online and have developed a suite of e-learning modules that are tailored to meet individual client requirements.